Originally Posted by
travelmad478
Parking is going to be a major pain no matter what. If you're willing to spend $40 for a rental car, spend less and take an Uber, depending on how close/far your hotel is from a Metro stop. Seeing the various things you want to see will still involve a bunch of walking, as it doesn't make a lot of sense to drive among them. Map out a route before you go that will let you walk without backtracking, then take a car/Metro to one end and leave from the other.
As to safety, there will not be an issue. That whole area is probably the best-surveilled neighborhood on Earth.
While I generally agree with taking Uber, in my experience, parking in the area around the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is not too bad late in the evening. There are lots of metered spots between the US Institute of Peace on 23rd and the Federal Reserve on 20th, all off Constitution. From there, the OP could hit several prominent sights and then drive along Constitution to the Capitol and head back to the DCA hotel by way of the Jefferson Memorial which should have ample adjacent parking at that hour.
Again, Uber might be the best option here, but getting a rental car and parking could be viable, depending on the actual time, day of the week, and month.